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Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna
Her Imperial Higness the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was the oldest child and first daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. She was the older sister of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. She was born on November 15th, 1895 and died with her family on July 17th, 1918. Early Life Olga was born to the new young tsar and empress on November 15th, 1895. Her father was 27 and her mother was 23. The year before, he parents were crowned the emperor and empress of Russia. Although she was the firstborn child, Olga could not become the heir to the throne since there was a law that forbade girls become the rulers of Russia. Instead of being dissappointed, Nicholas and Alexandra were excited over the birth of their first born child. Childhood As a child, Olga was compassionate and short tempered. She once lost her temper with a photographer. Since she was sheltered off away from the rest of the world, she was a bit naive. Ever since the birth of her sister Tatiana, she and Tatiana were close and devoted to eachother. She even allowed Tatiana to treat her like a younger sister. The two were called "The Big Pair" and shared a room. Olga, being the oldest, was expected by her mother to set a good example among her siblings and watch over her hemophiliac brother, the heir the throne, Alexei. Although the two didn't have the healthiest relationship, Alexandra and Olga were much alike: they were moody and shy. Olga was devoted to her country and eve refused to marry anyone that would make her leave Russia. Instead of calling them by their titles, servants called Olga and her siblings by their names or patronyms. The grand duchess loved to read and, unlike her brother and sisters, loved schoolwork. She was rather independent. Olga loved learning about politics and she often read newspapers. Olga strongly admired her father and wore a necklace of St. Nicholas on her chest. Olga even looked much like her father. She would go on long walks with her father, too. Olga, along with her brother and sisters and mother, depended on a starets named Grigori Rasputin to heal their brother Alexei when he had an attack of hemophilia. Olga and her siblings were taught to view the man as "Our Friend". Numerous Russians believed that the Empress was having an affair with the starets and it was also believed that he had sexually abused the grand duchesses, including Olga. These rumors were completely false. The main reason that Alexandra would allow Grigori to enter the palace was to "heal" Alexei if he had a bout of hemophilia. Growing up, Olga was an attractive girl. She had chestnut blonde hair and her father's blue eyes. Once she was in early adult-hood, her parents tried to find a husband for her but they were picky as they didn't want their daughter marrying someone she didn't like. Captivity and Death After Nicholas abdicated in 1917, Olga and her family were put under house arrest. They were transported to Tobols and then later on Ekaterinburg. She and her family were murdered on July 17th, 1918. Reports of Survival and Remains Found After the death of the imperial family, there were reports that a member of the family escaped. Few women claimed to have been Olga, all of them were denied. In 1991, her remains and her family's remains were found.